Sox See Duel Turn Cruel

Take Lead In 12th, Then Lose On Slam

June 14, 2006|By DAVID HEUSCHKEL; Courant Staff Writer

MINNEAPOLIS — Johan Santana was piling up strikeouts at a rapid pace, using his dazzling array of pitches to baffle the Red Sox hitters. It almost seemed too easy, even though sweat was dripping down his face.

Curt Schilling was mowing down batters at a similar rate, albeit in a different way, reaching back when he had to and relying on his fielders to make the plays.

They matched zeros for all but one of their eight innings on the mound. Each made one mistake -- in the seventh -- that was reflected on the scoreboard.

A crowd of 23,531 at the Metrodome was treated to a pitchers' duel as rare in the American League as the scoring chances the Red Sox and Twins generated Tuesday night.

When an opportunity presented itself in the 12th inning, the Red Sox pushed across the go-ahead run. But the Twins countered with four big ones, courtesy of one swing by Jason Kubel, to snatch a 5-2 victory.

Having already used Jonathan Papelbon for two innings and Mike Timlin for one, manager Terry Francona turned to Julian Tavarez, who couldn't close it out. He hit Michael Cuddyer with one out in the 12th, and Justin Morneau followed with a ground-rule double. After Torri Hunter was intentionally walked to load the bases, Kubel hit a 3-and-2 pitch to deep right. The towering drive disappeared behind The Baggie for his first career grand slam and the first homer by a Twins DH this year.

The Red Sox had taken the lead in the top half of the inning when Alex Gonzalez (three hits) grounded into a forceout with the bases loaded, beating the throw as Mike Lowell scored.

Schilling allowed one run and six hits in eight innings. He struck out five and walked one. The 91 pitches he threw were a season low and 17 fewer than what he averaged in his first 13 starts, yet Francona said he didn't give any thought to sending Schilling back out for the ninth.

``Not when he says he's done,'' Francona said. ``I would never do that.''

It was a ``grind game,'' Schilling said. ``You grind it every inning.''

Santana was every bit as stingy (one run, five hits) and much more overpowering, striking out a season-high 13 to raise his league-leading total to 104. He did not walk a batter, throwing 102 pitches, which his right about what he averages.

``Did he look a little nasty from up there?'' David Ortiz said to reporters. ``Santana's a great pitcher who's got great stuff.''

When Santana got Manny Ramirez in the seventh for his 13th strikeout, he had retired 13 batters in a row. That streak ended with the next pitch.

Jason Varitek got a fastball and hit it over the wall in left-center for his seventh homer.

``I knew he was going to have to make one mistake for us to win, and he did,'' Schilling said.

But so did Schilling. His mistake had nothing to do with location -- it was pitch selection. Schilling shook off Varitek.

``Obviously I shouldn't have,'' said Schilling, who wanted to throw a 1-and-0 fastball down and away to Cuddyer. ``It was on the corner, but it wasn't the right pitch in that situation.''

Cuddyer drove the pitch over the wall in right-center to tie it.

``This is the one that falls on me,'' Schilling said. ``As a starter, you've got to win 1-0 games. It's not too much to ask. I thought as soon as Tek hit the home run that we were winning that game 1-0. I just knew I was not going to make a mistake, and I did.''

Both starters reached milestones. Santana got his 1,000th career strikeout -- Ortiz in the fourth -- and Schilling hit the 3,000-inning mark when he retired Joe Mauer in the seventh.

Santana struck out the side in the first on 12 pitches and made it five in a row by getting Ramirez and Varitek swinging in the second. He struck out Kevin Youkilis leading off the third before back-to-back hits by Nixon (double) and Gonzalez (single) put runners on the corners. But Santana struck out Coco Crisp with a changeup and got Mark Loretta to pop out. Santana struck out the side -- Lowell, Youkilis and Nixon -- again in the fifth.

At that point, he had fanned everybody in the Red Sox lineup except Gonzalez, who struck out leading off the next inning.

``Tonight he was on,'' Ortiz said. ``He was keeping everybody off his fastball. Johan has a changeup that is filthy. ... His changeup had two different motions, one that goes in and one goes away.''